Firefighters discover man's body following fire

COMMERCE - Firefighters in Jackson County early Thursday morning discovered the body of a man inside a residence destroyed by fire.

Jackson County Emergency Services Director Steve Nichols said firefighters responded around 3:44 a.m. to the house fire at 5678 Highway 82 Spur in Commerce.

Nichols said the house was about 80 percent involved in flames. He said firefighters learned there might be someone inside the burning home because of vehicles there.

"There was just too much fire to make an interior attack so a defensive attack was done," Nichols said.

Following a thorough search, Nichols said firefighters discovered a man, possibly in his 60's, inside the home. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Nichols said the cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Harrisburg Fire Department. The cause of death is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, Jackson County Coroner's Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

Nichols said no one else was hurt in the fire.

Firefighters from Harrisburg, Maysville, and the Jackson County Correctional Institute fire departments were the first responders.